Russia says F-16 transfer to Ukraine would raise NATO question
The latest Russian warning comes after US President Joe Biden agreed to provide training for Ukrainian fighter jet pilots.
The transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine would raise the question of NATO’s involvement in the conflict, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said.
“There is no infrastructure for the operation of the F-16 in Ukraine, nor is there the necessary number of pilots and maintenance personnel,” Antonov said in remarks published Monday on the embassy’s Telegram messaging channel.
“What happens when the US fighters take off from NATO airfields controlled by foreign ‘volunteers’?”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been calling for months on the country’s Western allies to provide advanced fighter jets amid fears that such a move would be met with an escalation by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But amid a flurry of diplomacy by Zelenskyy ahead of the just-concluded G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced last week that they had agreed to form an “international coalition” to build fighter jets to provide support for Ukraine.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden approved training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, with Zelenskyy assuring Biden that the aircraft would not be used to enter Russian territory.
Over the weekend, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warned Western countries would face “colossal risks” if they continued to supply the F-16s.
Antonov said any Ukrainian attack on Crimea, which Moscow invaded and annexed in 2014, would be considered an attack on Russia.
“It is important that the United States is fully aware of the Russian response,” Antonov said.
The international community does not recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea.
Air defense experts say US-built F-16 fighter jets would give Ukraine an edge over Russia’s air force, but only when combined with high-powered missiles and targeted intelligence, which the West would also need to provide, and which would run the risk of killing off Western allies. attract Ukraine. more active in the war.